The real appeal of this game is in its multiplayer, especially considering how short the single player campaign is (assuming you're not going for all the collectibles and quests). Unfortunately, you can't take your game online on any system. Instead, you'll be relegated to split screen play or over a system link or LAN. In the PS2 version, you'll even be able to hook up with a PSP. If you know you're going to be the only one around while playing this game, it might be worth passing on even though there's some entertaining gameplay simply because it's kind of a pain to get a bunch of people together to keep it interesting. If you are able to regularly assemble a group of people, there's plenty to do in the multiplayer, including going into the battle or stunt arenas, or checking out the grand prix mode. In the process you'll be able to unlock more tracks to play on.

While the game's graphics are vibrant and colorful, they don't really pass into the realm of impressive. You'll find a high degree of detail in some of the level designs, like figures frozen in the ice of the Tyrannosaurus Wrecks level and plenty of extra moving parts in many of the tracks' layouts. Occasionally you'll find the game slows down during particularly combat heavy sequences, but generally the framerate remains stable. The character designs are appropriately cartoonish and well animated. It's all very good, just not great. The cut scenes where you'll be performing various actions like killing yourself or killing others are questionable, since they are much lower quality than the regular game graphics.

Sound in CTTR is much more forgettable than anything else. Some of the character voices are annoying, especially Pasadena. Many of the songs and sound effects are entirely forgettable, though occasionally you'll hear funny chirps from NPCs who you spin into and cause them to flip their ice cream cones onto their heads.

Suicide is encouraged.

What keep CTTR from getting boring is the sense of humor that's squeezed into almost every aspect of the game. Most representative of this is the fact one of the collectables involves finding different ways to kill yourself. There are also completely pointless sequences you can initiate that kill NPCs. None of these get very violent. They're limited mostly to Crash getting squashed by pianos and pop machines or eaten by yetis. On top of that, players will find an entertaining sense of humor infused into character animations, level design, and story sequences.

The Verdict

Crash has undergone many alterations throughout the long lifespan of Bandicoot-based products. This particular iteration happens to be pretty good, though admittedly not too deep. Although the game is able to provide players with a diverse array of gameplay modes and even some surprisingly heavy platforming elements, they all eventually wear thin. Even so, the game¿s cohesive sense of humor keeps the game entertaining. The single player is a short experience if you run right through it, but can definitely stretch if you¿re obsessed with grabbing all the collectibles. There are also faster race modes to be unlocked for dedicated players. To get the most out of this game, you¿ll definitely want to bring a few friends over. The emphasis on combat in this title can make for some intense face to face competition, and the stunt mode is an interesting distraction. It¿s worth a purchase if you¿re seriously craving some cartoony vehicle combat or a game with a good sense of humor, or are just looking for unique title that effectively blends several genres into one.